Rail-joint.



E. W. COUGHLIN.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-12,1914.

Patented June 26, 19W.

LQ3L33D 1M Atty E @AE% EDWARD w. COUGI-ILIN, or new nonr, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 m'rnnnooxme RAIL JOINT CORPORATION, A con'roaerron on NEW YORK.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 26, 191?.

Application filed November 12, 1914. Serial 1V0. 871,647.

To all whom it may concern 4 Be it knownthat I, EDWARD W. COUGH- LIN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at New'Dorp, Richmond county, Statemlsland, New York, have in-- vented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rail joints.

In such joints as now generally constructed, the contiguous ends of the rail sections are secured together by means of angle bars, one at each side of, the web of the rail, these bars being fastened to the rail section by bolts. The purpose is to join the ends together as closely as possible to prevent separation and relative movement of the rail sections.

The construction of the angle bar now in eneral use tends to maintain the surface of t e rail sections in a straight line. The settlement of ties under the weight of the passing wheels destroys this construction and produces great bending stresses in the angle bars. These stresses are proportional to the amount of settlement of the supportin tie or ties, and frequently cause fracture o the angle bars.

By reason of this wear, the angle bars become loose and refuse to perform their functions; the pounding of wheels at the joint becomes more pronounced and the stresses within the material of the joint bars rapidly increase. To obviate this condition constant watching is necessary, and frequent tightenin u of the bplts is required.

also believe that creeping of rails is due, to some extent, to the conditions I have above described, e. by the impact of the rolling stock against the projecting rail head, such rail section is sli htly moved longitudinally, and in course 0 time, under repeated movements of this kind, perceptible I creeping of the rail occurs.

With the foregoing statement of the art in mind, the primary purpose of my invention is. to provide a construction of rail joint by which the surfaces of the contiguous rails are maintained in true alinement, obviating the damage to the adjacent ends and surfaces, removing the cause of 'pounding of. wheels and its resultant damaging efiect and regllucing the tendency to creeping of the ra depression of one rail section relatively to the other, which occurs with present constructions. In this manner the rolling stock passes over a practically continuous rail at the joint without striking a projecting adjacent rail section. This, of course, is true irrespective of the direction in which the train travels.

The construction of joint at present preferred by me embodies a pair of complemental plates at each side of the rail web, one plate being secured near the end of each rail section at each side of the latter, these plates forming rabbet'joints at opposite sides of the rail. .The tongues of the rabbet joint on the same side of the rail overlap and project in opposite directions, and the tongues of parallel plates-at opposite sides of the samerail section alternate, i. e. the tongue of one plate is arranged adjacent the head of the rail and the tongue of the other plate is adjacent the foot of the rail. The construction of the joints is such that as one rail section is depressed the upper tongue of its rabbet joint member will rock upon and exert a' downward thrust upon the lower tongue of its complemental joint member, whereby the heads 'of the rails will be brought together and the bases of the rail slightly separated.

For the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to clearly understand my invention, I have appended hereto an illustrative sheet of drawing, in which Fi re 1 is a side elevational view of a comp ete suspended joint embodying the fea-- of the adjacent rail sections, each rail having the usual head 12 and foot or flange 13 supported by the ties 14:. Although I have illustrated my invention as applied to a suspended joint, it will be understood that it is equally applicable without modification to a supported joint.-

Fitting snugly between the head 12 and the foot 13 of each rail section at each side of the web of. the rail, is a joint plate 15 provided with a substantially rectangular rabbet 16, and a tongue 17 projecting beyond the edge or vertical face of the rail section. As will be noted particularly from Figs. 2 and 4, the lower face of each tongu'e 17 is inclined or beveled off at 17", thus enabling the tongues to rock, as above suggested,

without damage to the metal.

The complemental plates 15 are so arranged that the rabbets on the same side of the web of the rail are oppositely disposed, that'is, the rabbet in one plate is adjacent the head of the rail, while the rabbet in the complemental plate is adjacent the foot of the rail, whereby when the rail sections are juxtaposed the tongues on the same side of the rail overlap and project in directions opposite to each other. This construction results in a cbndition such that the corresponding tongues on opposite sides of the rail project in opposite directions, '0'. e. the upper tongue on the left hand side of the rail (the side toward the observer in Fig.

2) project toward the web 10, while the upper tongue on the right hand side of the rail (the side away from the observer in Fig. 2) projects toward the web 11, the lower tongues on opposite sides of the rail correspon ingly projecting in directions opposite to each other.

It will be understood that, in operation, the lower-beveled edge .17 of either upper tongue 17 rocks onthe upper plane edge of the lower tongue 17 of the complemental plate 15, while the lower beveled edge of either lower tongue rocks in relation to the foot of the rail and clears the same.

The joints above described may be secured in position bany suitable means. I prefer to provide the joints with guard plates 19 which are held in position by spaced bolts 20, passing through the guard plates, the

joint plates 15, and the webs 10 and 11.

The bolt holes in the plates '19 are preferably of greater diameter than the bolts, so as to permit the rails to se arate the necessary distance without shearing the bolts. 1' also preferably, although not necessarily, provide the plates 19 with projecting flanges. 21 to rest in contact with the ties and be fastened theretov by means of spikes 22. I may, if found preferable, dispense with guard plates 19 and form the flan es 21 directly on the plates 15, whereby spi 'ng of the flanges 21 to the ties 14 would secure the joints in desired osition, and the spike holes would Init longitudinal movement due to expan- S1011. Y

The operation of the invention will be understood from the following description thereof. Let it be assumed that a train is moving on the rail section 11 in the direction of arrow X. As the train nears the gap 18 between the rail sections, it depresses the section 10, causing the upper visible tongue 17, to rock on the upper plane surface of the lower visible tongue 17 exerting a downward thrust against the latter. As a result of this action, both rail sections are depressed in a manner tending to close the gap 18 and form the upper surfaces of the heads 12 of sections 10 and 11 into a continuous surface. There is a slight depression or angle in this continuous surface at the point of juncture of the rail sections, but neither rail head projects upwardly beyond the other, so that danger of injury to the rail heads, by impact of the wheels against the same, is precluded.

The relative movement of the tongues 17 tions, thus avoiding binding of these parts.

I desire it to be understood that it is not my purpose to limit the present invention to the precise details of structure herein described, as such details are susceptible of substantial modification without departing from the scope ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a rail joint, the combination with rail sections, juxtaposed end to end, of a joint therefor comprising complemental members adapted to rock on each other and to maintaina continuous rail surface at the oint under passage of rolling stock thereover.

2. In a rail joint, the combination with rail sections juxtaposed end to end, of a rabbet joint uniting said sections, said rabbet joint comprising members adapted to rock on each other.

3. In a rail joint, the combination with rail sections juxtaposed end to end, of a oint therefor comprising complemental rabbeted plates at each side of the sections said plates being adapted to rock on each 0 er.

It will be understood that, when.

mamas joint therefor comprising complemental plates each provided with a rabbet and a tongue, the tongue of one plate extending into the rabbet of its complemental plate and being adapted to rock on said last named plate.

6. In a rail joint, the combination with rail sections juxtaposed end to end, of a joint therefor comprising complemental plates each having a tongue, the tongues of corresponding plates being adapted to rock on each other.

7 In a rail joint, the combination with rail sections juxtaposed end to end, of a joint therefor provided with tongues one of which is adapted to rock on and exert a. thrust against another.

8. In a rail joint, the combination with rail sections juxtaposed end to end, of a joint therefor provided with tongues, each having one face beveled, the beveled face of one tongue being adapted to rock on and exert a thrust against the plane face of another tongue.

9. In a rail joint, the combination with rail sections, of a joint therefor comprising a pair of complemental rabbeted plates at each side of the rail sections, each plate having a tongue projecting into the rabbet of the complemental plate.

10. In a rail joint, the combination with rail sections, of a joint therefor compris' a pair of complemental rabbeted each side of the rail sections, each p ate having a tongue projecting into the rabbet of the complemental plate, the tongue and rabbet in a plate on one side of asection alternating with the tongue and rabbet in the plate on the other side of the same section.

11. In a rail joint, the combination with rail sections juxtaposed end to end, ,of a joint therefor comprising complemental members adapted to rock on each other, means for securing said members to the respective rail sections, and guard plates adjacent said members and having' openings therein through which said securing means loosely project 12. In a rail joint, the combination with rail sections juxtaposed end to end, of a lates at joint therefor comprising complemental members adapted to rock on each other, bolts securing said complemental members to the respective rail sections, and guard plates lying over said members, said guard plates having openings therein of greater diameter than said bolts and through which openings said bolts project.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD W. COUGI-ILIN. Witnesses:

Orro MUNK, CLARICE FRANCE. 

